Automobile creeper



Patented Gct. 14, 1924.

UNITED STATESl JOHN M. BUSH,Vv or YORK,v PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMOBILE CREEPER.

j Application filed November 1S, 1923. Seria1'No-67-536.

.l To all whom t may concern.'

lBe' .itA known that JOHN` Mf BUSH, ay citizen Vof the United States, residing at York, in

the county of York and State of Pennsylvania, has invented certain new and useful improvements in Automobile "Creepers, loi which the following is a specifioaftion.v

This invention relates to improvements in so-called creepers which aregenerally `employed by automobile mechanics, garage ernployees and owners of automobiles to en a'ble them to get beneath the machine for repair, greasing o-r other purposes.

N'Creepers for this purpose have become somewhat common but all' that have come within my notice yare of .amore or less frail construction, particularly with respect to the means employed to attachtheslats'or bars thereto, with the result that the rough handling to- "which the-se 'devices are, su b-'v 'liectedv causes the slats ,or 'bars to become loose yso breaks up. y

The presentinventionV 'has for its object that `the structure speedily to` provide an improved construction of Creeper including impro-ved means for holding and spacing the slats thereof and lor stiifening the ystructure in a crosswise'di-A reotion.

' The invention illustrated in the ac` companying drawing, wherein;-

Fig. l shows the improved device in top or plan View. Y

- Fig. 2 illustrates the same in end elevlation.

Fig. 3 shows an enlarged sectional detail' through a portion of the Creeper, as the same would appear if out on the line 3-.3 of Fig. l.

`Fig. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional detail through the head-rest end rolf-the creep`er,-v the section being taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. l.

v Fig.l 5 shows an' enlarged cross-sectional detail through theslat-holding device of theI Creeper as the same would appear if out on the line 5 5 of Fig. l, and

Fig. 6 illustrates an end of one of'ithey cross-bars to which thejcasters land slats are attaehethwthe View being `an inverted I one as looking in thedirection of the darts on the'line 6 6 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawing the numeral v designates one cross-bar of the Creeper and 8 the other cross-bar thereof. Both of these baril. f. v. These bars l1 are `formed with "alternate`r PATENT' cross-'barsarefof a like construction and ak description A,of one lwill apply tothe other. In cross-section the bars/7 andv 8 are of a channel-shape in that ythey have a-downi turned flange 9qa1t each lside thereof, as

clearly shown .in Figfw, vand'feach har is 'flat' or horizontal at yeach, end y' but p isf concave in a., longitudinal direction fb'etwe'ensjaid`- ends so -tliattheends of said',barsare` higher... v p,

thanl the` intermediate '.cofncave :portion thereof.' l.

'Each high flat end; of a orossbar is provided at its under sidejwith a easter.y l0.

is veryl unsatisaotory .lbecausejthe users of thesecr'eepers kick ltheininato place with their feet kor 'catch them by one oli" the slats in lifting or handling them,y with rtheresult that" thev sliait's break loose, and noltf infre?v` vquently split 'at Ithey points l wherethe nails or screws pass thiough'-them.,V 'y By means of myy invention, -I avoid thes ditticulties throughA the use yof yimproved Aclamping means which I will vknow explain.

Each crossbar 7i or 8 is formed of c-hanf andy `tree 'from liabilityv to split.y

With eachcross-biar I provide wli'at;"Inlayl f combined spacerV and lciamping` be term ed a raised portion l2 and depresse'df'portions 85 nel metal and is therefore exceedinglystrong i l 13,-'the depressed portions 13 seating"-onyv the upper surface of fthe 'cross-barwhilel the;

raised portions-each for-m a channel or re--f cfess crosswisegoi' the.cross-bar.

. L Rivets or l'equivalent asteningsjll, are

passed through the depressed"portionsL13 of the bars ll and also through-tlie'cross-- bar `whereby to rigidly hold, thefbaijll'y `down on said cross4har...

" The raised portions of the spacerfa'nd: clampingwbai's have particular co'aotion with ythe slats l5 ofthesuppOrtingeIGment. These slats are; 'of vuniform length'and v preferably of a uniform width andthe `slats are seated on the upper concave`sideJ- of ino the cross-bars so as to extend at rig-ht' angles to those bars. l

-Each slat 15', is provided on its upper side in Fig. 5 of the derving. The depth of 5 these channels is equal to the thickness ol the metal of which .the spacer und clamping bars ll are formed, and is also of a Width corresponding to the Width ot those bars.

One of these crossivise channels 16 is provided in the upper side yor" eech slet jnealr each o,.f its ends and irnrnedietelf.'v above the point Wherev vsuch .rests upon the crossbeijs ,7 and ATl'iese'slats are leid upon the cross-bars 1nd the spacer rind lclamping ybars 1l rc then 'bve-r Ithe lslats?-thet is, in a direction at right ieiinles'fto the slats.

ln -the elzirnpingfbers over the slats .l i. l I each ,of the latter is Lspaced ,so as to ,have '.v r1: liv f A position beneath the raised portion l2 .and lbve'tween tvvo depressed portions es vclearly shown l1n of tthe dren/'ing so het .Wlll til@ Clfjempfllg bur is loivered over the slets' die runder side of eeeh raised .Dorf/i011 of4 the' clnlniplin'g yger will V seat in the recess oi.' chennel "lr6 Vinthe upper face vof each .Slet ,Bv ineens of the .cressntise `Clnlnnels ythe slats, ,the clamping berll will seni sdovvfn dthereinl until its upper srrfece be- .,conievs rsh `vvith'the upper snr/fece of the sluts ,al shovvfxi in so .tliet. there is :i cor'riplete' lzrcrllnng pinny IpioJection on vthe :uppern side of the sletts .on which .a pcson v vlltl in using the ,creepeix By 'providlng fthe with .the cross- )vise 'channels lor recesses 16 in their upper fgrces 1nd Ythen seating vthe clamping bers invltlio/se Yclairennels the slats .are securely ,held sgeinst longitudinal ,displacement or inovcnient .W.itliturt entering" fastening ,devices such as bolts, .screws nails or pins ,into .the 5.151@ 'tlilQmSiel-VBS' 4The spacer end clemping bars .ll eige se* curedl at intervals to the cross-bars or 8 ,by ineens of xthe .rivets lll which. beim: Iin ythe tdep essed portions are .beloiv the siii'- 'fe ,on `which n person lies .so `that no projection extends above the slats.

it the lopposite flat ends@ lthe .clenglpine' bars' are turned ldonn .nl i7, and clinched under the jcross-.ber es et 18 Ibetween the siderlenges .so es to rigidly hold the ,clginiplpur ends in place.

ons end of the Creeper there is pro-- vided a padded headrest lf) which may be formed in eny desired ,mtinner @ind attached 111 preferred my.

Byfrneens pf niy eonstruction .there is no dz'rnger [if the'sl't'ts being; pulled loose from .the ;iQ$S.-bar 'leeceusey .they are not indvi'duelly riveted Vor nailed thereto but ere clamped in place in e Way that the upper surface is Ytree ot' proiections or yanything 4that will weaken the structure, and by seet-y ing the clamping bers Vin the recesses er chlnnels i6 et the slats the letter will be securely-'held against longitudinal displace nient.

Having described my invention` l claim,-

l, In an automobile Creeper the combination with a pluralitj.' of cross-bars each having tiet upper side and a caster on the under side ofeach end, of u clamp bar over .the upper flat side of each cross-her uiuillcech clamp-her having n seriesofruised Iportions which are separated and spacedA ltroni one unother by intervening A nzimovver rlso ser ig' to receive the elningp bers so dial the latter ,will ,hold .the slats geniet ciiherlnl'erel or lengthwise displacement .n'itgh respect to the i@,ross'liags xand .avoid fastening devices ,in :the .sla-ts themselves.

ln n device xof gthe ehereeter vdescriloed ,the xeombinaztion .vvitli i plurali-ty of Channel-bers which are flat .sit their ,tivo yends sind are concave in e longitudinal diigeetion hetvacen .said tin-t ends ,seid lbers heineY open :it euch end ,between the rside flanges which lorin the channel .in l the upper surieoe of euch channel-bur being` [ree ol projections. o' series of sluts l nnen Ethe upper snrs :1nd extending el lzui of the channel-lim:-

:ingles with lJfesptuzt .to ,the letti-yr, e, simvcer'l'mr exl'cntling over catch .chen-in l-l bui' und leziclr spacer bei' hnvilng' ineens for enn gaping' erich slut to space the slats one from the other seid spacer bers ulso holding the` slats enninst longitudinal movement and. in n direction .et ,right angles to .the chew nel bars and the opposite ends ,of ,the spacer bers being' clinched lei-:ouml end 11nder the open ends of the channel bers lee-- ,tween the .side thing' s .ot lire letter, end casters beneath the ends ot" the cliennel bars. i

ln testimony whereof elli): my signature.

Jenn M. enst-r, 

